KABUL/WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The United States and Afghanistan reached a draft agreement on Wednesday laying out the terms under which U.S troops may stay beyond 2014, one day before Afghan elders are to debate the issue.

A draft accord released by the Afghan government appears to meet U.S demands on such controversial issues as whether U.S troops would unilaterally conduct counterterrorism operations, enter Afghan homes or protect the country from outside attack.

Without the accord, Washington has warned it could withdraw its troops by the end of next year and leave Afghan forces to fight a Taliban-led insurgency without their help.

Thousands of Afghan dignitaries and elders are due to convene in a giant tent in the capital Kabul on Thursday to debate the fate of U.S forces after a 2014 drawdown of a multinational NATO force.

"We have reached an agreement as to the final language of the bilateral security agreement that will be placed before the Loya Jirga tomorrow," U.S Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in the U.S capital, referring to the gathering.

The draft agreement is to take effect on Jan. 1, 2015, and says it will remain in effect "until the end of 2024 and beyond, unless terminated."

A senior U.S administration official said there has been no decision on the size of any post-2014 U.S force, however the administration does not foresee a residual force staying in Afghanistan until anywhere near 2024.

Intense negotiations between Kabul and Washington have provoked frustration among the Afghan tribal and political elders who made perilous journeys from all over the country to the capital Kabul for a grand assembly to debate the pact.

What lies behind the evocative names of John "Black Jack" Pershing and Tasker Bliss ? Yes, it was John "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( Hon) (1860 - 1948) highest ranking U.S military, Army- General of the Armies , and his chief of staff General Tasker Bliss , who in 1917 came to Paris to scuot for U.S participation in the 1st World War. The American commander in chief had a hard time hiding his impatience over the continental lateness, inorganization and baloney, but smiled at the crowds who shouted " Vive l' Amérique " :- Don´t it beat hell!A man from the Midwest with a popular expression without worrying about syntax. So he became four-star general. With Pershing's troops turned the war. 81,000 American soldiers were killed . From here originate the American habit - never eradicated - to pull out on crusade for high ideals. Here in Afghanistan - the Forgotten War - 2,292 U.S soldiers fallen so far.

Some 3,000 Afghan elders will assemble on Thursday in Kabul to consider a new security agreement with the U.S The document will spell out the rules for American forces in Afghanistan troops after their combat mission ends in December 2014. U.S officials say between 6,000 and 9,000 US troops would remain to train Afghan security forces and conduct counter-terror missions against al-Qaeda and other anti-government forces. That counter-terror mission remains a sticking point, though most other issues — like potential criminal liability of Americans in Afghanistan — have been resolved.

It looks more likely that thousands of American troops will serve in Afghanistan beyond the end of next year. That's because today the U.S and Afghanistan moved closer to finalizing a security agreement. The deal would determine what missions any remaining U.S troops would be allowed to conduct after the main combat operation ends.

Examining an anthrax slide through a microscope in the Central Veterinary Research and Diagnostics Lab in Kabul City here during a tour Dec. 28. The tour gave a group of Army vets a better understanding of the lab’s capabilities which they will pass on to the Afghan veterinarians they work with, in their respective provinces. (Photo by U.S Army Spc. James Wilton, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

KABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (1/6/11) - A group of U.S Army veterinarians – including National Guardmembers from two Agribusiness Development Teams – visited the Afghan Central Veterinary Research and Development Lab here Dec. 28 to better understand its capabilities.

The visit included representatives from the Kentucky National Guard ADT II, the Iowa National Guard ADT, the 62nd Cooperative Medical Assistance Brigade and the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.

The knowledge gained from the visit will help the veterinarians design their workshops, where they train and work with Afghan vets on the provincial and district level.

The CV RDL, which opened in 2009, is the main laboratory controlling 13 provincial labs and six regional labs in Afghanistan.

The labs are used to diagnose and document diseases in livestock and report the findings to the MAIL. Fast, proper detection and documentation of these issues helps to ensure the livelihood and health of the Afghan people.This is about the future of Afghanistan. The country of Afghanistan needs to establish a standardized system designed to properly track and take samples from livestock, then test and diagnose diseases, reporting the finding to the government and we have done that; all that is left is implementation.

The CV RDL confirms the diagnosis made in the field by Afghan vets in the smaller provincial and regional labs as well as conducting training and drafting standardized regulations for those facilities.

The facility has departments specializing in histopathology, toxicology, biochemistry, drug analysis, public health and a school to train laboratory technicians.

The public health department deals with monitoring and testing products for import and export making sure they’re safe for human consumption or use.

When we got to Noor Gal with a couple of our friends from the Provincial Reconstruction Team, we quickly set-up for the women’s veterinary training. Fortunately, we had some extra time, because as is common in Afghanistan, our students arrived around an hour after we thought they would. So we made sure we were secure, hung out and had some fun. :)